Quiet & Serene Buddhist Temples Tour in Kyoto（SWA029）

2015.02.01

Introduction

Buddhist temples should be a place you sit and meditate, seeking for the total serenity of mind which is the goal of Buddhism. This is a tour for those who seek quiet and serene Buddhist temples, unlike some touristy Buddhist temples in Kyoto. If you want to sit in meditation (do “zazen”), you can join an English-speaking “zazen” course held at a subtemple in Miyoshin-ji Temple with a chair available. You’re to visit the north-western suburbs of Kyoto. Among the temples you’re to visit, Ninna-ji and Kozan-ji are designated as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Gallery

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Tour Detail

Tour Style

This is a short trip program.
- Some programs are not conducted on daily basis. Please ask us for availability first.
- Programs are offered in English, but other languages may be available. Please ask us for your desired language.

Meeting Place
Pick up at your hotel in Kyoto
(The picking applicable hotels are limited to the hotels between Higashi-oji-dori and Nishi-oji-dori (to the east and west) and Imadegawa-dori and Jujo-dori(to the north and south). If you need a taxi or a hired car, an additional fee will be charged.)

◆Myoshin-ji Temple
A big Zen Buddhist temple in the western suburb of Kyoto. It was built where the detached palace of Emperor Hanazono used to be. It has as many as 3500 branch temples in Japan. Inside the precinct, there’re 38 of them with only 3 of them, Taizo-in, Daishin-in and Keishun-in, always open to the public. The precinct looks like a posh town in the 17th Century or the 18th Century with continuing gorgeous white earthen walls. There’s a sub temple where “zazen” class is held in English every morning.

◆Ninna-ji Temple
An old Buddhist temple founded at the end of the the 9th Century. In the precinct, Emperor Uda built a palace called “Omuro” and lived there, after he became a Buddhist monk, being the incumbent emperor. So this temple used to be called “Omuro Palace.” The head priest often came from the Imperial family. Now there’s a palace-like building where Omuro Palace used to be. It’s famous for “Omuro Zakura,” a cherry which blooms late, and it will be crowded around the blooming season.

◆Fuku-oji Shrine
It is the Shinto shrine giving protection to Nin-na-ji Buddhist temple. It enshrines Hanshi Empress, the mother of Emperor Uda. There used to be a different Shinto shrine which was burnt down in the Oh-nin War in the 15th Century, and during the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu(at the first half of the 17th Century) , it was rebuilt, enshrining Hanshi Empress, whose burial ground was close-by. The name, meaning good luck, comes from the fact that she successfully gave birth to many children.

◆Kozan-ji Temple
An old Buddhist temple in Togano-oh, a distant suburb of Kyoto. From the main building called “Sekisui-en,” you can enjoy the view which might make you feel as if you’re deep in the mountains. The temple, originating from the 8th Century, was reenergized in 1206 by Myo-eh, an excellent monk. He was donated a building by Emperor Go-toba. It has “Cho-ju Jimbutsu Giga,” superb and witty picture scrolls called “the first comic of Japan”, and has the first tea garden in Japan as Ei-sai, a monk who brought tea seeds from China for the first time in Japan, gave them to Myo-eh. It’s crowded with visitors in the autumnal foliage season.

◆Saimyo-ji Temple
An old Buddhist temple in Makino-oh, a distant suburb of Kyoto. You cross a bridge over a river with pure water and go into the serene and beautiful precinct worth visiting. It’s crowded with visitors in the autumnal foliage season.

◆Rokkaku-do Hal
A small Buddhist temple just in the center of Kyoto City (It has a “belly button stone” in the precinct!). A legend has it that it was built by Prince Shotoku, a renowned figure around 600 AD. The name meaning hexagon comes from the fact that the main building is hexagonal viewed from the top. It was burnt down as many as 16 times from the early 12th Century to the middle 19th Century according to the records. The present building was built in 1877. It’s home to Ikenobo, the flower arrangement school founded by the monks of this temple.

◆Nishiki Market
If you need a break from temple hopping, Nishiki Market is a great place to visit. Located in the center of the town, Nishikikoji-dori, 400 meters long, is a street lined with around 130 shops selling Kyoto's specialties, such as Kyoto vegetables, dried and pickled foods, fish, and more. That's why it is called "the kitchen of Kyoto". The variety of foods on display is staggering and the frequent cries of Irashaimase (Welcome!) are heart-warming.

Booking process
1. Please ask us for availability through ‘contact us’ form and make sure to write the number of participants and date.
2. We will check the availability and come back to you within 2 business days.
3. Payment request will be sent via Paypal.
4. Reservation is done upon receiving your payment. Confirmation e-mail will be sent to you.

Payment
- Program fees shall be paid through Paypal. Currently, no other payment method is accepted.

Cancellation Policy
Reservations may be cancelled without charge up to 15 days prior to the program date.
Reservations cancelled less than 14 days before the program date will incur the following charges:
- Between 14 days and 3 days: 20% of the program charge
- 2 days in advance: 50% of the program charge
- Less than a day or no show: 100% of the program charge
*Time is in JST.

Conditions
- Please follow the guide's instruction during the program. We shall not be responsible for any accident caused by disregard of the instructions.
- Program duration is an estimate and is subject to change depending on the number of participants and/or conditions without prior notice.
- Please advise us if there are any religious or health restrictions, allergies, or any case where special care is needed when you ask us for availability.
- Deadline for booking a program is 5 business days prior to the program date.